Dr Induwara Gunarathne

Biography

Before joining UNE medical school, Dr. Induwara Gunarathne (also written as Gooneratne) worked  as a fulltime senior lecturer in Forensic Medicine for over fifteen years in a Sri Lankan medical school. He was then appointed as the Chief Examiner and the Head of Department of Forensic Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka . Further, he has long years of experience as an expert medical witness to court and as a clinician.

Induwara spent some time as an academic visitor at the Centre for Forensic & Legal Medicine at the University of Dundee, UK and then completed a Master’s Degree at American University, Washington DC, in the US.  Subsequently, he completed a PhD degree at the University of New England, Australia. Additionally, he completed a  Diploma in Forensic Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and a Master’s degree in forensic medicine from the faculty of Medicine university of Peradeniya under the supervision of Prof C J Babapulle, Chair and Professor of Forensic Medicine at the time. Moreover, he has undergone advanced forensic training in the US, UK, India, Sri Lanka and in Australia at Adelaide University. Induwara also had the opportunity to follow further forensic training programs including those at the Armed Institute of Pathology in the USA.

Before joining the forensic medicine department he taught full body gross anatomy, histology and embryology at Peradeniya university.  During this time, in his initial years as an academic, Induwara had the opportunity to complete a one year advance training in full body anatomy by dissection under the supervision of two eminent Japanese professors of clinical anatomy from Hiroshima University, Japan under a JICA ( Japanese International Training Agency) sponsorship. Later, while in the US, he was able to further advance his forensic anatomical skills under Prof Douglas Ubelaker, a well-known  forensic consultant to FBI, George Washington University and to the Smithsonian anatomical museum in the US.

In addition to being a dental surgeon, forensic expert and a clinician, he is also a qualified lawyer and is admitted to the Bar. In law, he co-specialised in medical ethics and health law in the US and completed internships and training in the areas of medical ethics & health law at the National Institutes of Health ( NIH),USA and at the Bioethics and Health Law initiative at the Washington DC College of Law.

At Peradeniya university he has held several key leadership positions including Acting Dean of the faculty of Medicine, Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, Chief Examiner in Forensic Medicine, University Senate member, Chairman/Student Councillors Board, Secretory of Ethical Review Committee, Course Director & Convenor, Coordinator of Study Centres, Coordinator of Diploma in Forensic Medicine Program, Acting Chairman of Medical curriculum Coordinating Committee, Chief Editor of Journal of Forensic Medicine Science and Law and lecturer in charge of forensic laboratories.

He has published over seventy-five publications in the form of full papers and peer reviewed conference papers and has authored 2 book chapters and two monographs.

He is a past recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship by the US government and the Australian Leadership Award ( ALA)  from the Australian Federal Government on academic merit.